Families are preparing to take the UK’s largest care home operator to court amid claims its “systematic failings” in handling coronavirus led to the deaths of hundreds of residents.
Law firm Leigh Day is heading the case, saying many of the deaths in HC-One homes could have been avoided.
While none of the families involved in the action are from Tayside or Fife, the care provider has at least 15 facilities in the region.
These include Balcarres, Riverside View and Ballumbie Court in Dundee; Balnacarron, Balfarg and Woodside Court in Fife; Finavon Court, Cairnie Lodge and Lunan Court in Angus, and Catmoor House, the Birches and Strathtay House in Perthshire.
In May the Care Inspectorate took legal action to have HC-One removed as the main provider of care at Home Farm, on the Isle of Skye.
It followed an unannounced inspection of the Portree home that raised “serious concerns” about the quality of care.
Earlier this month, it was announced the facility would be taken over by NHS Highland.
Amongst the families represented by Leigh Day are the relatives of Colin Harris, who was one of ten residents of Home Farm who died during a Covid-19 outbreak.
Colin’s widow Mandie is now demanding to know what HC-One knew of the risks to the residents from the virus, what it did to protect residents and whether systemic failings across the HC-One network of care homes, including the movement of workers between homes and accepting admissions direct from hospital, led to the unnecessary deaths residents.
HC-One runs 329 care homes across the UK.
Richard Meeran, a partner at Leigh Day who is representing the families, said: “We have heard so much about what has been done by the government and by these private companies to protect residents of these care homes, yet the figures are still difficult to find and it is our belief that the true scale of deaths from Covid-19 in privately run care homes in England and Scotland is far worse than we can imagine at this stage.”
A HC-One spokesperson said: “HC One is only aware of this proposed action through Leigh Day’s media statement.
“The company understands fully the effect of this unprecedented pandemic on our residents, their relatives and our colleagues who have been caring for them. We have utmost sympathy for the distress and loss that has been felt by so many in recent months.
“As a responsible provider, which pays all UK taxes due and works constructively with regulatory and enforcement agencies, any claims will be referred to our Insurers. Therefore, it is not appropriate to make further public comment at this time.”
